Chapter 0678: Ceremony's Eve

Xia City was bustling with excitement and activity. As time went by, more and more officials from the royal court and the leaders of the various provinces began to pour into the city, one after another.

The coronation ceremony was almost here.

Xia City was gaily decorated and the atmosphere was eclectic.

To the common man, the coronation ceremony was a time of great festivities. However, to those who were more astute, they were able to sniff out the dangerous undercurrents that underlay this event. They knew that the result would soon determine the direction the Xia Kingdom would take.

The effects would reverberate around the entire kingdom, and no faction would be free of its influence.

Thus, every faction had gathered here, awaiting the opening of the grand event that would shape the future of the Xia Kingdom. 

House Luolan.

The terribly busy Li Luo had managed to snatch a moment for a breather, entertaining his group of friends from the college. Yu Lang, Bai Mengmeng, Bai Doudou, and Zhao Kuo were excited to pay a visit after finding out the result of the Housemeet.

"Congratulations, House Lord Li Luo. May your grand name resound throughout the Xia Kingdom. House Luolan will rise gloriously, and I hope that Brother Luo will remember our relationship from the past and never forget his loyal friends." When that familiar, sloppy voice sounded out, a smile surfaced on Li Luo's face.  

Yu Lang swaggered in with a grinning face as he waved at Li Luo.

Yu Lang laughed as he continued, "However, I'm not surprised that Brother Luo is the House Lord. Well, it was your surprising follow-up that truly caused you to become the topic of discussion in the academy. It was shocking indeed." 

"What?" Li Luo was a little taken aback by this sudden statement.

Yu Lang winked at him. "Well, it's because ever since the Astral Sage College was founded, it was the first time that a Violet Vibrance mentor was... shall we say… convinced to join her student's house! Your single move has been recorded into the annals of the college's history, an achievement that every student will forever idolize!"

Li Luo didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. So it had to do with Mentor Chi Chan's situation... Despite not actively circulating this piece of news, some resourceful individuals would definitely have caught wind of it, and the younger generation would inevitably have heard of it as soon as possible.

To the students of the college, this was even more shocking and impressive than Li Luo becoming a House Lord!

"Leader, now that you've snatched Mentor Chi Chan away, what's going to happen to our Fairness & Justice Squad?" Bai Mengmeng cried out as her large, innocent eyes glanced at Li Luo with a hint of sadness. She and Xin Fu were dumbstruck when they received the news. They were still in the One Star Hall, but their mentor had vanished! Would the college provide them with a new Violet Vibrance mentor after that? Did they have to rebuild their relationships from scratch?

Li Luo shrugged as he helplessly replied, "There was no choice. She wanted to do so! Who am I to reject her?"

"Hearing your words... makes me want to punch you!" Bai Doudou pouted. She couldn't tell if this brat was simply lucky or acting dumb!

Li Luo then swept his gaze over the group before asking, "Where's Xin Fu?"

He realized that his squadmate was missing.

Bai Mengmeng softly answered, "He didn't want to come. He said that he was a member of House Lanling and that Mentor Chi Chan had even started a fight with them."

Li Luo fell silent for a moment before smiling. "That fool... what is he trying to do? In my eyes, House Lanling is House Lanling. Xin Fu is Xin Fu. He is still a member of our Fairness & Justice Squad! So long as he doesn't deny this fact, it will forever be the case." 

He knew that during the Housemeet, Yu Lang, Bai Mengmeng ,and Xin Fu had done their best to hold back Ye Chengying, who had received an assignment from the house.

Although her strength could not have changed the overall situation at House Luolan, his friends' intentions was not something he would ever neglect nor forget.

Especially Xin Fu. He was a member of House Lanling and yet he had chosen not to accept the assignment, obstructing Ye Chengying instead. This display of friendship would forever be remembered by Li Luo.

"Qin Zhulu?" Li Luo continued to ask.

"He said his father had arrived in Xia City today and thus he could not make it," Yu Lang explained.

Li Luo's gaze flickered for a moment upon hearing this. Qin Zhulu's father was the general that guarded the borders, the renowned Qin Zhenjiang, right? He was one of the Xia Kingdom's mightiest warriors. The only reason he would rush back to Xia City would be to attend the coronation ceremony.

The only question in this case was: who would the general support? With his position and resources, he would undoubtedly shift the tides in the favor of whomever he chose.

Li Luo continued to entertain his friends before tersely reminding them, "You guys should stay within the college grounds tomorrow. Don't leave its protection casually." 

"Is it due to the coronation ceremony?" Bai Mengmeng was quite astute and went straight to the point. The Bai family was also a top clan in the kingdom, so she would naturally be aware of these developments.

Li Luo nodded and his gaze turned profound.

"The college might not be affected as much, but you should still remain careful. Everything should end after the coronation ceremony concludes tomorrow." Li Luo looked at the immature and green faces before him. They had yet to fully mature and required time to develop themselves. Hopefully, the coronation ceremony would end smoothly.

...

General's Mansion

Qin Zhulu was emotionlessly sitting at the table, looking at the burly middle-aged man before him. The man's bare arms were riddled with countless hideous scars. At the same time, he gave off the aura of a powerful soldier with blood made of steel. It was awe-inspiring, but at the same time, one would also be left breathless before him.   

This was Qin Zhulu's father, the Xia Kingdom's great general, Qin Zhenjiang.

The man was voraciously wolfing down his food. A moment later, he patted his stomach and sighed with satisfaction. "Xia City's food is much tastier than the gruel you get at the frontier." 

With that, he raised his head and stared at Qin Zhulu, his expression becoming stern. He commanded with a low voice, "Little Lu, now that you've been in the Astral Sage College for a year, I would like to know what you've gained."

Qin Zhulu simply replied, "I have not been wasting my time. I am rushing into the Earth Fiend Stage, but I am not the strongest student in the One Star Hall."

Qin Zhenjiang frowned and emitted a suppressive pressure, slamming his palm fiercely against the table as he bellowed, "WAS MY QUESTION REFERRING TO THAT? What I wanted to know is if you have found any girl to your liking within the college!" 

Qin Zhulu froze up like a deer in the headlights.

Upon seeing this, Qin Zhenjiang's face was full of disappointment. "The sole reason I painstakingly sent you to this college was for you to find a girl! The only thing you know is to cultivate! Cultivate my ass! If you continue cultivating this way, the Qin family will be finished!"

Qin Zhulu's eyelid twitched. He couldn't be bothered to continue with this conversation, so he turned to leave.

Qin Zhenjiang stared at his departing figure before grunting with a dissatisfied tone. He then went to search for his housekeeper to question further. "How is Little Lu at college? Did he get to meet any girls?" 

The housekeeper duly replied, "The Young Master has two female squadmates. Unfortunately, he has continued to resist their influences. In this entire year, he has only gotten closer to that Li Luo person. In fact, their relationship isn't bad at all."

"Li Luo? You mean House Luolan's Young Lord? Wait. No. He's the House Lord now. I've heard about what happened at the Housemeet." Qin Zhenjiang stroked his bearded chin as he helplessly continued, "That blockhead didn't try to get closer to females but chose to mess around with a guy?" 

His expression turned horrified a moment later. "Could it be that Little Lu is interested in men?"

The housekeeper smiled awkwardly. There was no easy answer to this question.

Qin Zhenjiang had a pained expression on his face before he clenched his teeth. "Go and find Little Lu. Let him know that his father is someone with an open mind. If he likes males, it's not like there's no solution to this..."

The housekeeper shrunk backwards. How could he dare to say such words? Even if he wanted to die, there were better ways to do so! 

Fortunately, after Qin Zhenjiang muttered to himself for a while longer, he finally dropped the subject.

"Who has sent representatives thus far?" 

The housekeeper nodded and then replied, "Both the Regent and the First Princess have dispatched people to invite you to their gatherings, General." 

Qin Zhenjiang waved his hand.

"Reject both of them. Why do they persist in such meaningless activity? If they want to fight, just do so. There's no need to beat around the bush. I will not choose. So long as the Xia Kingdom remains peaceful, that's all that matters. This is what my brothers have sacrificed their lives for."